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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27138718">Ship ahoy!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/VNVdarkangel/pseuds/VNVdarkangel'>VNVdarkangel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Love Live! Sunshine!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Fluff, Jealousy, Mari meddels, marine setting, occasional italian</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:48:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,257</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27138718</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/VNVdarkangel/pseuds/VNVdarkangel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Chika and Yō don't really get enough time to secretly be together following Yō's confession at the aquarium. Mari sets them up with an opportunity.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Takami Chika/Watanabe You</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic follows my work <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/21475930">Aquarium</a>. </p><p>(and I know, the title is kinda out there... I didn't get any better ideas for it.)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Takami Chika and Watanabe Yō to the Director’s office… Come on Bellas, don’t keep me waiting.”</p><p>Yō and Chika looked at each other, then at the teacher.</p><p>“Sensei?”</p><p>“Sure, go. Better not keep her waiting”, came the resigned reply. Having Mari as the director was apparently an adventure for the staff too. The girls stood up, bowed and left the classroom, heading to the staircase and the office on the upper floor.</p>
<hr/><p><em>It’s perfectino. And they won’t suspect a thing</em>, Mari thought just as she heard a knock on her door.</p><p>“Accedere!”, she called. When nothing happened, she said, “Come in!”, in Japanese.</p><p>The two second years entered.</p><p>“You have a cold Mari?”, Yō asked.<br/>
“No. Why do you ask?”<br/>
“Well, it kinda sounded like you sneezed before we came in.”, Yō scratched the back of her head and looked away.</p><p>
  <em>Ahh. </em>
</p><p>“Never mind that.”, Mari said, “I called you here on important School Idol business.”<br/>
“But Mari, we have classes… “, Yō started to say, but Chika interrupted: “Ohhh… like what?”</p><p>Yō looked on as Chika exploded into a torrent of questions. She loved this boundless energy her secret girlfriend had, but sometimes it was a bit of a hassle to deal with when they were pressed for time.</p><p>“No no no… it’s even better.”</p><p>Mari made a dramatic pause: “I need you two to scout a small boat for our next PV. It’s scheduled for next weekend and I already cleared it with your parents. “</p><p>“Here…”, she handed them an envelope each, “are all the details. After the success at the aquarium, we should continue with the maritime theme, si? Now back to class with you.”</p><p>They looked at the envelopes, then at Mari, then at each other.</p><p>“Ehhh?” came the unison cry.<br/>
“Chika, you’re our leader and Yō is our expert on all things maritime, so….”, she snapped a smart salute, “Get to it!”</p><p>Before she knew it, Yō had given a salute and said: “Yousoro!”<br/>
Sheepishly, they exited the office.</p><p>“Figure it out bellas.”, Mari muttered to herself.</p>
<hr/><p>The week passed with the usual practice drills and rehearsals. Talk was of course of the location and the song for the PV. Mari was very tight lipped about the boat, giving very little details, saying instead that the experience would make it all clear.</p><p>And so, with a small bag in hand, Chika stood outside the inn, waiting for the bus to arrive so she could meet up with Yō for their tide to the train station for the trip to the next harbour town over.</p><p>As she climbed onboard, she quickly located the swimmer and, sitting down next to her, gave her a small peck on the cheek. Yō immediately blushed.</p><p>“Chika…”, she protested quietly, “we said we’d only do such things when we’re alone?”<br/>
“Good morning sunshine to you too.”, Chika beamed, “I’m just so excited. A scouting mission. It’s going to be fun. And I get to spend time with you.”<br/>
“That may be, but we still have to work. See what it’s like, talk to the captain, take pictures and come up with ideas. I wonder why the instructions were so sketchy… all we have is the name and where it is supposed to be moored.”<br/>
“You didn’t look it up?”<br/>
“Nah., I don’t want an expectation to cloud my judgement. Got to do it right.”, Yō saluted.<br/>
“True, but until then….”, Chika leaned on Yō, “just let me lean on you for a little bit? It’s been weeks since we had some time alone together.”</p><p>Yō’s expression softened.</p><p>“Yeah, been rather crazy busy since then… and I do miss… it. A lot. Maybe we can get some time for us in between all of it. Depends on the size of the boat of course.”, she looked embarrassed at her hands in her lap.</p><p>Chika conspiratorially looked around, then quickly bent forward and placed a kiss on Yō’s hands.</p><p>Yō’s blush intensified.</p><p>“See? It’s alright Yō-chan. Now let’s get comfy. On the train we might not get the chance. So let’s make the most of it.”</p><p>She leaned into Yō who put her arm around Chika, squeezing her gently as the bus quietly drove to its’ destination.</p>
<hr/><p>“Can you see it?”, Chika asked in a loud voice.</p><p>She and Yō stood at the pier, looking for a boat with the odd name <em>Sognare</em>, but the only boats they saw were luxury yachts and cruise liners, not a ‘small boat’ as it said in their papers. Tired of looking and seeing a sailor walking on the jetty, Yō walked up to him and saluted.</p><p>“School Idol first class, Watanabe Yō reporting sir. Could you assist me with a search?”</p><p>The sailor smiled at her and returned the salute.</p><p>“Well, School Idol first class Watanabe-san, I’ll see what I can do. What are you searching for?”</p><p>Yō presented him the paper with the boats name.</p><p>“My friend and I are to report to this vessel, but we can’t seem to find it.”</p><p>The sailor had a look at the paper then looked sceptically at Yō.</p><p>“Are you joking with me?”</p><p>
  <em>Huh? </em>
</p><p>“No sir.”, Yō snapped at attention, “Our senpai described it, you see, as a small boat. But since we can only see large vessels here, we seek assistance.”</p><p>Had Yō unknowingly offended the man? Chika slid up to them.</p><p>“It’s true. This is what we’ve been told. Was she wrong?”</p><p>The sailor looked them over again and held out is arm, hand pointing at the large cruise liner moored nearby. The ship oozed of luxury.</p><p>“That is the <em>Sognare</em> right over there… and I’m the Watch Leader. I’m guessing that you are the two VIPs the captain briefed us on?”</p><p>Yō and Chika looked stunned at the enormous ship.</p><p>“Ehh…. I don’t know… maybe?”, Chika said sheepishly.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Sognare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The <em>Sognare</em> was luxurious to say the least. On being granted permission to board and giving their names, the First Mate explained that the <em>Sognare</em> was part of the O’Hara fleet of cruise ships that operated in the Mediterranean, but that she was in Japan for refit and later on, a cruise around Japan. As such, the ship operated on a skeleton crew with no passengers. Since this was the closest port that could accommodate them, they hard moored here instead of in Uchiura.</p><p>“I just gotta ask; how does Mari, ehh Miss Mari O’Hara fit into all this?”, Yō asked.<br/>“Well, apart from being our owner’s daughter, Miss Mari has always been very kind to us, acting more caring than a becoming hotel and cruise tycoon, if you pardon the candour. In short, the crew likes her and when she asked us for a favour, we didn’t want to turn her down.”</p><p><em>What power DO you wield Mari?</em>, Yō asked silently.</p><p>“So,”, the First Mate continued, “if you leave your bags here, I’ll have the brought to your cabin and we can begin the tour… though I never really got what it was for…”, he looked inquiringly at them.</p><p>Chika smiled her best smile:</p><p>“We’re school idols from Uchiura, Mari…-san wanted us to scout this ship as a location for our next PV. We did one recently at an aquarium and she thought we should keep the maritime theme going.”<br/>“Ahh, I see… or I think I understand. Shall we start?”, and he enthusiastically waved them to accompany him.</p><hr/><p>The ship was more a floating hotel than a ship in Yō’s eyes. With various types of cabins to different restaurant, shops, that were closed, to various sports courts and swimming pools, there seemed no end to things you could do on a ship like this. The locations that lent themselves to a PV were easier to narrow down: the cinema, the theatre, and some of the on-deck sports courts gave that feel of being as sea with either their décor or environment. The pools were nice, but they just extended the aquarium vibe, and they were looking for something different, but recognizable.</p><p>Then a view from one of the upper promenade decks with the bridge as a background was perfect. Yō and Chika took notes and pictures, asking about ingress and egress points, noise level, wind and so on. They wanted to make sure that Mari would be satisfied with the location scouting.</p><p>Leading them up to the bridge on Yō’s request he said:</p><p>“The bridge is too small for your needs I think, but it doesn’t hurt for you to meet the captain. He’ll be your host for dinner tonight.”<br/>“Wha?”, Yō and Chika said in unison.<br/>“Yes.”, the First Mate looked confused, “Didn’t Miss Mari say?”</p><p>Both shook their heads.</p><p>“She must have forgotten then, no matter.”</p><p>As he opened the door to the bridge, a small girl with almost golden blonde hair, ran up to them.</p><p>“Girls idols?”, she asked in broken Japanese.</p><p>Chika and Yō looked at each other.</p><p>“Excuse me, could you say that again.”, Chika said slowly.</p><p>The little girl tried again.</p><p>“Girls”, she pointed at them, “Idols?”, she made a dancing pose.<br/>“Ahh, I understand.”, Yō smiled at her. “Yes. School Idols. Aqours.”</p><p>The little girl beamed.</p><p>“Aqours. Cool. Sign?”, she held out a piece of paper and a pen.<br/>“Of course.”, said Chika and tried her best to make it not too big.</p><p>Then suddenly they heard something in a different language all together, the words <em>bella</em>, <em>non</em> and <em>madre</em> sounding familiar.</p><p>A stock man with a beard came around a bank of monitors and smiled at them.</p><p>“Ora per favore mio caro.”, he said to the little girl, who bounced away with a paper with Yō’s and Chika’s autographs singing a version of Aozora Jumping Heart in very broken Japansese.</p><p>“My daughter loves Japanese Idol culture, so when she heard we’d be having two members of a group on board, she insisted on waiting with me. I’m Ferdinand Perini, captain of the <em>Sognare</em>.”</p><p>Yō snapped a quick salute:</p><p>“School Idol first class Watanabe Yō reporting, sir”, while Chika went with a friendly:<br/>“I’m Takami Chika. Pleased to meet you.”</p><p>The captain saluted and laughed a hearty laugh.</p><p>“Miss Mari told me about you two.”, he chuckled, “Anyway, you’ll be my family’s guests tonight at dinner, I’m sure my daughter will be delighted to talk to you some more. Her Japanese is not as good as mine, but she learns.”<br/>“We really don’t want to intrude….”, Chika began.<br/>“Nonsense. You’re our guests on board and it’s only right.”, he checked his wristwatch, “I’ll call the steward to show you to your cabin. Since you’re the only ones here, we’re giving you the Regent Suite, the best guest room on the ship. Enjoy it.”</p><p>Yō and Chika looked at each other and cried: “Whaa?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Google translate had to give me the italian... if it's not correct, do tell me so I can correct it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chika and Yō inspect their cabin</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Here we are.”, said the steward and opened the double doors, “The Regent Suite.”</p><p>Before them, a landscape of a room unfolded. From the door they could see straight through to a large window pointing at the ocean beyond. Several half height dividers separated different sections of the suite with doors leading off to the sides. It was like a large apartment, fashioned with the upmost care and no expenses spared. Just breathing the air felt expensive.</p><p>The steward stepped over the threshold, leaving them, stunned, at the door.</p><p>“If there is anything you need… “, he pointed at a phone on a red-wood table, “then just lift the receiver and someone will answer. Day or night.”</p><p>He took a few steps towards one of the doors.</p><p>“We’ve put you bags in here and Miss Mari had clothes sent for your dinner with the captain. They are hanging in here too.”</p><p>He smarty stepped behind them and gently pushed them inside. He retreated and took hold of the doors.</p><p>“Dinner is in two hours. I’m sure you’d like to freshen up after a long day. Please enjoy.” With those last words, he closed the doors. They heard a <em>click</em> as it locked after him.<br/>
“Wow… “, was all Chika managed to say.<br/>
“Am I dreaming?”, asked Yō.</p><p>For a moment they didn’t move, the reality slowly sinking in, then Chika snapped out of the reverie and turned to Yō.</p><p>“Only one way to find out if this is real…”, she said with a shaky voice and leaned closer and caught Yō’s lips.</p><p>The swimmer’s eyes instantly went wide and she stepped backwards.</p><p>“Chika-chan!”, she exclaimed, “we’re… hey wait…”, she calmed herself and looked around, “alone.”</p><p>Dumbfounded, she took a step towards Chika, grabbed her head in her hands and placed a delicate kiss on the mikan-coloured girl’s lips.</p><p>When she broke the contact, she said:</p><p>“I’ve been wanting to do that since this morning.”, a slight red shade filled her cheeks.</p><p>Chika was silent for a moment, transfixed by Yō’s actions, then she lent in, pressing a soft kiss on her girlfriend’s lips.</p><p>“Shall we have a look at the room and what Mari sent here for us? Think she knows?”, Yō asked between kisses.<br/>
“We’ve been really careful, and Riko-chan would never tell.”, Chika replied.</p><p>There it was again, that feeling of… what was it? Jealousy? Riko-chan still carried their secret, she was close to Chika… could she? It became too much for Yō, she separated from Chika, leaving her confused, and strode towards the doors the Steward had pointed out.</p><p>“Well… let’s see what we have here.”, she said without turning around, opening the doors.</p><p><em>What was that all about? </em>Chika asked herself. <em>I need to find out. </em></p><p>Yō stepped into the large closet and was just about to take another step in when she felt her movement restricted by Chika embracing her from behind.</p><p>“Chika-chan?”<br/>
“Yō-chan… tell me what’s wrong.”, Chika implored.<br/>
“Nothing… nothing is wrong.”, Yō stammered.<br/>
“Yō-chan… every time I bring up Riko-chan you get… like this.”<br/>
“I’m telling you, it’s nothing.”, Yō tried to wriggle free, but Chika held on.<br/>
“Yō-chan…”, Chika gently rested her head on Yō’s shoulder, “please tell me.”</p><p>
  <em>Well, I do want to be honest with my feelings. So... here it goes.</em>
</p><p>She turned slowly, looking into Chika’s crimson eyes that were full of worry.</p><p>“Riko-chan is a good friend, she’s an amazing composer, she’s cute and she’s an important part of Aqours… but… but… every time you mention her, it’s like you shine  a bit brighter… and… and I get jealous and I’m afraid that you’ll … you’ll… want to be with her instead of me.”, Yō felt her eyes getting wet.</p><p>Chika looked at her, stunned. So that was it. Yō was afraid of losing her.</p><p>“I know it’s silly, but I can’t help it. I…”</p><p>Chika lent forward, planting a kiss on the swimmer’s lips. She felt Yō, temporarily freezing up, not immediately reciprocating, but with repeated kissing she felt Yō relaxing, her arms holding on to Chika. Soft, tender and full of warmth, Chika communicated her warmth to alleviate Yō’s fears.</p><p>
  <em>I read about this In Riko-chan’s books….</em>
</p><p>Chika opened her mouth just the slightest and moved her tongue to touch Yō’s lips at their next kiss. She felt Yō stiffen again and opened her eyes to look in the depths of Yō’s blues, looking at Chika with wide eyes. Chika nodded. Yō blushed slightly, then gave a small nod and as Chika leant back to kiss her girlfriend again, the swimmer opened her mouth slightly to allow Chika access.</p><p>As she met Chika’s tongue with her own, it felt like electricity was arcing through Yō. Their kisses on the boat from the aquarium in recent memory, and the quick stolen kisses when they were securely alone even in more recent thoughts had been spectacular. The emotions communicated through them were off any scale that words could convey. But this was on a completely different level. From some primal part of her she heard a sound emanating that left her feeling embarrassed, but also empowered. She gently maneuvered Chika to a wall, pressing her against it and pressed deeper into the kisses.</p><p>Chika wasn’t even aware she had moved until she felt a wall stopping her motion and Yō pushing her into it. She barely registered anything but the swimmer’s mouth on her own and the sensation of warmth spreading though her. She felt utterly blissful and happy. This was where and with whom she was supposed to be.</p><p>A phone started to ring, they ignored it. It kept ringing, they ignored it until the insistent ringing penetrated their bubble of happiness. Chika heard it first and broke off the kiss.</p><p>Panting, they both looked at each other, wondering what had happened.</p><p>“Chika-chan?”, Yō asked, voice laden with worry, “was it… bad?”</p><p>Then she too heard the ringing.</p><p>“What is that?”</p><p>They took a step from the closet into the main room, the phone the steward had pointed out rang again, accompanied by a blink on the console. Chika walked over and answered:</p><p>“Takami Chika speaking…  yes…  we were just about to… yes… oh, I see… I’ll let you know then… thank you… mhm… at seven… ok… bye.”. She put the receiver down.</p><p>Yō looked at her inquiringly.</p><p>“They wanted to know if we’d have a chance to try the clothes Mari sent. If they don’t fit, they have a few different sizes she also sent in store.”<br/>
“Huh… makes you wonder what they are, doesn’t it?”<br/>
“Yeah, let’s look… but… Yō-chan…”, Chika started to blush wildly, “was that OK? … with the ehh… I mean? I… I… “, she didn’t really know how to finish the sentence, so she began anew;<br/>
“Look… the only one I… I want to do those things with… the only one, “, she stared down at her feet, squirming, “… that I want… that my heart races for… is you.”</p><p>Yō put together what Chika was saying. She moved to Chika and hugged her.</p><p>“I get it… and I’m sorry that I doubted you. I just feel so… conflicted when it comes to Riko-chan and you. Please forgive me.”, she put her head on Chika’s shoulder.<br/>
“Always. It’s you and me, remember?”, Chika placed a gentle kiss on Yō’s neck.<br/>
“Shall we then?”, she asked. Yō nodded.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It turned out that the clothes that Mari had provided them for the dinner were… nothing but spectacular. She’d probably asked Ruby for their sizes. If anything, trying them on made them feel ridiculously overdressed. Each came with a matching overcoat of sorts since the base garment, viewed from the right angle showed off quite some skin in the back. They also had matching coloured details with Chika’s having ocean blue highlights and Yō’s sporting mikan orange details.</p><p>“Are we really supposed to wear these?” Yō asked, “They feel like we’re going to a ball or something.”<br/>“I.. I stopped worrying when I saw you in yours. I could look at you all day in that.”<br/>“Chika-chan?” Yō blushed.<br/>“Hihi” Chicka giggled.</p><p>It felt strange to walk around so dressed to the nines, so they took the opportunity to explore the suite a bit more while trying to get used to what freedom of movement they had. Everything seemed to be large, a large bathroom, a large sofa, large windows with curtains, a large, but fake, skylight and a large bed.<br/>One large bed, not two, but one.</p><p>“I’ll sleep on the sofa.” Yō offered, smiling meekly.<br/>“Don’t you want to… “Chika pointed at the bed, “to sleep here?”<br/>“Ehhm… I…”<br/>“… with me?” Chika slowly finished her question.<br/>“We done it before…” she continued, “why not now?”<br/>“Chika-chan, it was different before we were not... you know…”<br/>“Together? Does it matter?”</p><p>Yō sighed.</p><p>“You’re right. I’m being silly. Just because we sleep in the same bed doesn’t mean that… stuff happens, right?”<br/>“Stuff? What stuff?”</p><p>
  <em>We should be ok as long as we're under the covers? In Riko-chan’s books they are always above them. Must get cold. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Did she sleep through biology? Oh well, but of course she did.</em>
</p><p>“It doesn’t matter. Besides, we’ve done it before loads of times. It’ll be fine.”</p><p>Yō really wanted to change the subject before she got any wild ideas.</p><p>“Ehhm… I’m hitting the shower, want to look my best for our fan… “</p><hr/><p>As the relaxing water fell like rain from the overhead nozzles, Yō tried to take stock of what was going on. She and Chika were girlfriends and not just friends that were girls, there were girlfriends in the romantic meaning. They held hands, they kissed and sometimes both her and Chika’s hands seemed to move on their own to more… private places only to quickly retract. She blushed as the thought visualized in her mind. They saw each other dressing and undressing quite often with the costume changes and took showers and baths together at the ryokan or… they had. Now they looked away when the other changed, they waited their turns to shower and they hadn’t enjoyed an onsen together for a while. Yō missed those moment, when she would steal a look at Chika, only to find her staring back, smiling. Yō’d become a stuttering, blushy mess while she burned what she’d seen into her mind. Chika had probably done the same.</p><p>
  <em>It’s not like it’s illegal... or wait… is it? I mean we’re not 18 yet… Argh… we could not tell anyone, but… I have no idea what to do. Well, maybe just listen and watch her? But that would be creepy and creepy isn’t right but how…</em>
</p><p>Yō’s train of thought was suddenly interrupted as two arms slung around her chest, another warm body pressing itself against her. She fought her instinct to take the arm and twist it as she heard Chika’s voice in her ear.</p><p>“Yō-chan… please don’t avoid me.”<br/>“Chika-chan, I…”<br/>“Please don’t. It will be ok. I just want to be close. Is that ok?”</p><p>Yō relaxed.</p><p>“At least, don’t sneak up on me.” She separated herself from Chika and stepped further into the large shower, gently pulling Chika into it. Yō closed the distance, pulling Chika in an embrace.</p><p>“I’ll never avoid you, but we need to be careful, ok?”</p><p>Chika nodded. Yō held on to Chika and looked into her eyes. It would be ok.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>An impromptu performance, a realization and possible angelic interference.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I have to say, you ladies look absolutely stunning.” Captain Perini said as the steward presented them at the captain’s table.<br/>
“I understand why Mari had those clothes sent, they really look good on you.” Said a tall woman, standing next to the captain. The little girl from earlier stood next to her, her eyes transfixed on Chika and Yō.<br/>
“Let’s sit.” The captain said, “Please.”</p><p>The moment they sat down, servers started to bring food and drink to the table, it was a meal unlike anything they’d ever had before. The girl peppered Chika with questions about idols as Yō and the captain talked about boats, with Yō proudly declaring that her father was a ferry captain. Captain Perini told a story about when he was just starting out, serving on a ferry between the Italian mainland and the island of Sicily and the mafiosi that used the ferry. His wife talked about life at sea and what it meant for their daughter.<br/>
Suddenly Chika asked after some animated discussion with the captain’s daughter:<br/>
“Do you have stage?”<br/>
“Excuse me, my Japanese might not be too good, but you were asking about a stage? For performances or theatre?” the captain asked.<br/>
“Yes.”<br/>
“Apart from the theatre, we have a music stage here, just behind that curtain. Is this for your PV?”<br/>
“No. Can we use it now?”<br/>
“Sure.”<br/>
“Yō-chan, why don’t we do a small mini live?” Chicka asked Yō.<br/>
“Huh? What? Now?” Yō put her glass down.<br/>
“Yes.” Chika gestured at the little girl, “For our newest fan we met.”</p><p>Yō saw the passion in Chicka’s eyes that she loved so much. She never wanted to see it fade.</p><p>“Let’s do it, Chika-chan.”</p><p>Addressing the girl:<br/>
“Do you have the versions of our songs without singing?”<br/>
“Si. I sing then in my… my… <em>cabina</em>.”<br/>
“Shall we pick out some song after dinner? For your own live?”</p><p>The girls face literally sparkled and with a big grin she nodded.</p><p>“Yes.”<br/>
“<em>Devi calmarti, care mia</em>. Dinner first.”</p><p>The captain gestured at the table. His daughter continued eating.</p><p>“I hope were not imposing.” Yō said, scratching the back of her head.<br/>
“Life is hard on a ship for a child, even a captain’s daughter. If you help her make some good memories, I’m all for it. What would you need for equipment?”<br/>
“Probably just a music player and some microphones, cordless if possible.”<br/>
“I think we got in some headsets last week. They should do it. We usually have entertainment when we’re cruising.”<br/>
“Of course.” Yō smiled.</p><p>After dinner, Chicka disappeared with the girl to look for songs, while Yō inspected the stage. It was as large as one would expect, deep enough and equipped with a good lighting and sound system. It was more geared towards band performing than anything else, but it would work nicely for the two of them. Getting the whole of Aqours and their choreography would have been problematic. She also checked the headsets that a seaman unpacked. State-of-the-art, light and when she tested them, her voice came through clear and strong.</p><p>Some time later Chicka came back.</p><p>“Yō-chan, I’ve got five songs: <em>Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare</em>, <em>Aquarium</em>, <em>Jumping heart</em>, <em>Kimi no Kokoro wa Kagayaiteru kai</em> and <em>Sora mo Kokoro mo Hareru kara</em>.”<br/>
“That’s… wow… quite the selection.”<br/>
“She’s a big fan.”<br/>
“Well, I checked the stage and the technical stuff. We’re good for full steam ahead.”</p><p>Chicka took Yō’s hands in hers.</p><p>“Let’s show them.”<br/>
“What? Us...? but Chicka-chan…” Yō blushed.<br/>
“Let’s give her a live to remember.”</p><p>Yō saluted. “Yousoro!”</p>
<hr/><p>All prepped and ready, the two school idols gave the sound engineer a sign, the light faded and <em>Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare</em> began to play from the speakers. Almost as on automatic, Chika and Yō moved in perfect sync, taking other parts in the choreography as needed, always communicating wordlessly. Clara, the captain’s daughter had abandoned the chair she was sitting on and was standing by the stage, waving her cyalume to the music. With the rest of the lounge cast in shadow, she was the bright spot they focused on. When the last piano sound faded into the ether, Chika signaled the engineer to pause the songs.</p><p>“Good evening and welcome. We are School Idols from Uranohoshi, we’re Aqours.” Chika presented them.<br/>
“Chicka-chan? It’s not only us.” Yō said with a questioning expression.<br/>
“Fine. We are a small part of Aqours! The other couldn’t come today, but I hope that we will have fun together. I’m Takami Chika and I love mikans. Say it with me: Kan Kan.”<br/>
“Mikan!” Clara shouted.<br/>
“Kan Kan…”<br/>
“Mikan.”<br/>
“Kaaan Kaaan…”<br/>
“Mikan Mikan.”<br/>
”Thank you!”</p><p>Next Yō waved and said:<br/>
“School Idol First Class, Watanabe Yō. I love boats. Always full steam ahead.” She saluted.<br/>
“<em>Yousoro!</em>” Chika and Clara shouted and saluted!<br/>
“Thank you! And now for our next song!”</p><p><em>Aquarium </em>continued the small live, sending small pangs of remembrance to Chicka and Yō as they went through the routine. They tried to imitate the voices of the other members, sometimes successfully, sometimes ending in the other one trying to contain laughter. I all it was good fun. At the end of the song, Chicka held on to her girlfriend from behind making her blush. Thankfully Clara didn’t get it.</p><p>After the last song, Chicka waved from the stage once more.</p><p>“I just want to thank Clara and everyone on board for being so welcoming today. It has been a real pleasure to be here and you are all wonderful.”<br/>
“Thank you. We’re Aqours. Good Night!”</p><p>The lights went out and shortly after, normal illumination was switched on and Chika and Yō saw the crew standing at the edges of the area including the Captain and his wife. They began clapping, joining Clara who hadn’t stopped.<br/>
Chika and Yō bowed and when they came up, Yō, feeling exhilarated gave Chicka a small peck on the cheek. Chicka blushed and the gathered crowd cheered.</p><p>Carefully going down from the stage, Clara ran up to them.</p><p>“<em>Bravo. Bravo!</em>” she said in Italian, then stopped and thought a bit, “Very <em>Goood</em>.” She concluded, a big smile on her face.<br/>
“Thank you. You had fun?” Chika asked.<br/>
“Si. I want to see all of Aqours one day.”<br/>
“We’ll make sure to get you tickets, right Chika-chan?” Said Yō, winking at Chika.<br/>
“Of course.”</p><p>The captain and the crew clapped for a while longer until the captain pronounced the entertainment over and that everyone should return to their posts. He addressed the Idols:</p><p>“Thank you for this. Clara will be happy for weeks. You’re free to roam the deck if you like. Most of the crew be asleep though, as will we, since we’re in port.”<br/>
“I think, we’ll go back to our room and take a bath and sleep. It’s been a long day.” Chika replied.<br/>
“I’ll see you both at breakfast tomorrow then. Have a good night you two and thank you again.”<br/>
“Thank you”, Chika and  Yō replied and started to make their way to their suite.</p><p>“Think Mari-chan thought of this?” Yō asked Chika, pointing at the dresses.<br/>
“The dresses? They did have very good mobility… maybe?”<br/>
“She’d never… would she?” Yō thought out loud.</p><p>They looked at each other a knew the answer.</p>
<hr/><p>Having a bath together didn’t feel that strange after the shower earlier the same day. They still tried hard not to stare at each other, but after a while the head from the water made them relax. Exiting the bath and just wearing towels, they got ready to sleep.<br/>
In the cabin they looked at their options: big bed and sofa.</p><p>Chika took a chance and pulled Yō to the bed.</p><p>“Chika-chan? We shouldn’t…”<br/>
“Why not? We used to always as kids?”</p><p>
  <em>She really doesn’t get it…</em>
</p><p>“As long as we’re under the covers it’s fine.”<br/>
“What? No it’s not. Why under? What difference would that make?” asked Yō.<br/>
“Eh.. I dunno?”<br/>
“Chika-cha~~n…”<br/>
“Please?” Chika’s intense eyes looked into Yō’s. Yō could feel her resolve erode.</p><p>With a sigh, she nodded.</p><p>“Fine.”<br/>
“Yey!” Chika jumped, pulled open the covers, tossed the towel onto a chair and slipped in.</p><p>Yō tried hard not to stare. She failed.</p><p>“Ehh.. heheh… I’ll be… hehe…” she slowly turned, dropped her towel and reversed into the bed, first feeling ok, when she pulled the covers over her.</p><p>Chicka nuzzled closer, resting her head on Yō’s shoulder.</p><p>“It was fun today wasn’t it, Yō-chan?”<br/>
“It was. I didn’t expect to do a live, but It did help to judge what we can do here with everyone. I think we can tell Mari-chan a few… wait… Mari-chan knows this ship, she knows the crew personally…”<br/>
“… so she knows what would be good…” Chicka finished, realization hitting her too.<br/>
“She knows.” Yō said.</p><p>After a while Chika said:<br/>
“Does it matter?”<br/>
“Hmm.. not really. It’s not like she keeps her girlfriend secret.”<br/>
“Think it will change anything if they knew?”<br/>
“I~~~don’t think so. But I’m not telling.”<br/>
“Neither am I.” said Chika, a big yawn closing the sentence.</p><p>Yō pulled Chika’s body closer.</p><p>“See you tomorrow Chicka-chan.”<br/>
“Tomorrow.” Chicka muttered, her breathing already slowing.</p><p>Yō looked up at the faked skylight.</p><p>“You’re something of an angel Mari-chan.” Yō said and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>An epilogue of sorts can be found <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27858577">here</a></p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/R43Vc3X">Idol Fanfic Hell Discord!</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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